I don't have a pool, but this is an interesting question: About $100 at 2008 rates.

I made the assumption that an "average" pool size is about 20,000 gallons. 2008 average price per gallon for residential customers of San Diego was .00463 dollars. I rounded this to .005. (I would have used projected 2009 prices if I could have found them)

I looked into this before and the rough range I got is between 5-10k. I think in CA, you'd also have to disclosed that there used to be a pool when you sell. You're also probably going to lose some equity by removing the pool. At least that's what a lot of people are saying.

I've been wondering the same thing. My brief research suggests that there are several variables, including the size and kind of pool & associated structures, access to the site for heavy equipment, local code regarding fill type & compaction, and most importantly future use of the new land. To get something that you can build on that is appropriately compacted, etc. I think the 10K figure is close but at the low end.

AN: For some older homes, particularly foreclosures in rough shape, removing a rundown pool may increase the value of the property.

AN you are correct regarding the disclosure process. Also if you are going to remove the pool I would suggest you do it correctly.

In short you need a plumbing permit and an electrical permit to make sure all electrical, gas, and plumbing connections are terminated correctly. Also when you are filling in the excavation there are two alternatives depending on if you are going to build on top of the filled in site. If you are not going to build on it then you CAN fill in the assocation debris and bury it. However there are details you need to be aware of.

AN: For some older homes, particularly foreclosures in rough shape, removing a rundown pool may increase the value of the property.

Yes, I agree that if the pool is rundown and is aliability more than an asset, then it would probably worsen the value, since buyers will view it as a money pit. However, you'd have to weigh in how much it cost to bring the pool to good condition vs how much it cost to remove it. If the pool is in good condition, it supposed to bring higher value to the house. If it cost at least 10k to remove it correctly with all the permits, it might be cheaper to recondition the pool to good condition.

Another thing to keep in mind is that water prices in SD will increase by about 40% over the next two years.

Unless you constantly draining and filling your pool, it shouldn't affect your water cost very much. The pool is a close system and if you keep the pH balanced, there's no need to drain and fill with new water. The only time you need to add more water is after maybe 1/2 a year of evaporation.

I think in CA, you'd also have to disclosed that there used to be a pool when you sell.

That would be news to me since after moving into my house my next door neighbor disclosed that there was a filled in pool in my backyard. Neither the RE agent or the previous owner made any mention of it.

You have to disclose any material fact and many times material facts are not disclosed either intentionally or unintentionally.

Meandale it is unfortunate but this is a material fact that you should have been made aware of IF the sellers AND/OR the listing agent knew about it. Perhaps they did not as it could have been something that happened before they bought and were never made aware of it.

I think in CA, you'd also have to disclosed that there used to be a pool when you sell.

That would be news to me since after moving into my house my next door neighbor disclosed that there was a filled in pool in my backyard. Neither the RE agent or the previous owner made any mention of it.

You can go to the building department and check permit records to see if anyone ever pulled a permit for the removal. Some jurisdictions have online permit archives. If the pool is close to the house, or if it were logical that someone would build in it's place someday, I would be more concerned. If it is close to the house, the pool may have been engineered to support lateral loads and if the people who abandoned the pool improperly destroyed some of this, that would be bad. There are other reasons special engineering may have come into play.

Also, at any given time someone with knowledge of the pool could report it to code compliance. If there is no record of proper abandonment and/or demo of the pool, they could by very problematic.

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